The idea of this paper is to propose research methods designed for strength analysis of composite materials which are widely used in load-carrying structures. It is shown that the strength analysis and study of composite materials are carried out in two directions – considering them as inhomogeneous composite materials, representing a regular multilayer medium of alternating reinforcement layers and a polymer binder, and the study of the issue of structural strength, in which composites are considered as homogeneous elastic orthotropic bodies, to which the theory of elasticity of anisotropic media is applicable. These approaches enables to represent the composites in the form of a continuous medium and  use the methods of the theory of elasticity of anisotropic media in calculating the acting stresses, which makes it possible to use the influence of the elements of manufacturing technology on the physical and mechanical characteristics.